The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1887-09-22
MODERN KNIGHTHOOD.
AN GRAFTON DELIVERED BY MIR
A. H. 'ELLER.

14-The Graces and Reauties of the
Old Chfvalry Described. Compare
son With the Modern. Charge to the
knights
For you, Sir Knights, [ salute this
concourse of people assembled to wit
ness your pageant.
"All hail to the ladies and lords Of high
degree,
Who live not more happy, though greater
than we,
Our pastmes to see,
| Under every green tree,
In all the gay woodlands, right welcome
ye be-"
Standing here il the presence of
fair ladies, and brave knights mount
ed on their spirited palfreys, [ am re-
| minded of those days famed in poetry |
and song for their feats of partial
daring and exploits of brilliancy and
chivalry. The most beautiful picture as
we'll as the brightest page in the his
| tory Of Europe during those centuries
Of darkness and ruin which followed
upon the downfall of the Roman En-
pire is the institution Of chivalry- The
rise of that noble order gilds the dark
ness Of those ages as the sun rising
from behind the Alps and kindling
upon every mountain peak, blaze of
glory. and pouring flood of golden
light upon the clouds which hung
their solemn drapery about benight-
ed world.
From the fifth to the tenth century
there existed in Western Europe
scarcely a trace of culture save in the
cloisters, and scarcely any protection
: to person or property save such as the
church could afford. Elsewhere the
strong hand was the only law. Here
and there brave man would take
upon himself the protection Of the
weak and redressing the wrongs of the
, injured. Women, being the weakest
:, and most liable to suffer wrong, natur-
! ally, first claimed this protection, and
!, 30 to courage was added courtesy,
', chastity, temperance, and refinement,
as necessary to the character of these
self-appointed champions.
By and by these Knights associated
themselves together, and under the
= sanction Of the church, rapidly spread
. from France to the other nations of
,, Europe. To train the youths OF hon
orable station into a race OF knights,
to nrags sice themselves in the use of
! arms. and the art and graces of horse
! manship, the tournament was easily
- introduced The spectacle was always
Il made CAV with banners and costly
draperies and crowded with spectators
II conspicuous among whom were the
: ladies. And their approving smiles
, then as now were the rewards most es
., teemed by the victors.
=. Three centuries ago the institution
=, of chivalry with its martial orders, the
" knights Errant, Knight Templars
y y Hos spittelers, Knights Of St. John, anc
% the Tentonic knights, passed away
The great social and political change
~ which swept over Europe, the exten
"a sion of commerce, the Improvement
" IN the arts, the changes in the meth
DDS of warfare, and the protectlo
which the we'll organized government
of recent times have afforded to thei
:, subjects have rendered this magnlt
y" cent and expensive institution unsulte
to our modern civilization.
Of But the tournament, the child an
representative of chivalry still exist
m And while the warlike and hazardou
by character which it once wore woul
tie hardly be countenanced in this Ell
to. lightened age, yet stripped OF /
be bloody shirt and clothed in its moder
be habiliments of grace and innocer
ors pleasure, the fercest light of CRITICS
he has been turned upon it with lit
ill effect. And for what reasons do Y
ma still cling to this relic of antiqult
for this remnant of chivalry? The re-
as- sons are very plain. 1t keeps alive
knowledge, yes, a love, for those sent
ments of houor, courage, chastity, @
lantry which constituted It's very LII
and its very soul in the days OF
prime.
am aware there are those-go,
psople, and I speak reverently-w
TO- would gladly destroy it believing tn
he did a pious duty. [ am aware t
that this is not the first instance t
world has seen of misconceived a
misdirected piety. The Goths a
10 the Vandals and the other barbara
eruptions of the North conceived 1t
@ a be a pious thing when they over-r r
the fairest portion of southern Euro
and robbed aad burned and destroy
o;t- and sought to extinguish the fair
forms OF nutudil dTC-Uus HI eho 'SA
To- ages the descendants of those sa
barbarians, enlightened by the civil
ton of the conquered, returned to tn
at same ruins and there gathered up
ng fragments Of noble architectu
10 = And so it will be with Chivairy-t
examples of courage, of honor. OF v
ue. will live for all time and be ch
ished by the true, the noble snd
good.
The object of living, with the
ne clients, and with the mo3erns, v
Pagans and with Christians, as
nore ceive, has ever been, and still is,
rtile realization of pleasure-Pleasure
,eral one of lis forms, and Ruskin tells
| in they are three. There are those
East take pleasure iE leaning, those
,aro- take pleasure in faith. There
ntry, those who take pleasure in action.
v, Of idea which predoninates among
,eak- people will characterize their civil
in a ton and their institutions accordin
,outh Looking at the splendid coll'
Dina and seminaries which adorn our Il
por- you might exclaim The Amer
i my people take pleasure in learn
Again viewing the beautiful cha